Philip mabqtja



(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. MARQUA.

BALL TRAP. No. 301,908. Patented July 15, 1884'.

JZZesii' V v fizz/671737 5 p yaw/m7 Z 6 Win-um (No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2.

PLMARQUA.

BALL TRAP.

' No. 301,908. 4 v v Patented July l5fl 884p J V fizz/922102,

Q yymawgm w r 4 M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP MARQUA, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO. I

BALL-TRAP.

\ SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,908, dated July15, 1884.

Application filed April 11, 1884. (No modcI l To aZZ whom it mayconcern.-

1 Be it known that I, PHILIP MARQUA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Sending-Traps for Flying Targets, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to traps or sending apparatus used in projectingclay targets or pigeons into the air for sporting purposes, its objectbeing to render the same more efficient and produce a more perfectflight of the target, and also to adapt the same to a sending of atongueless target. Such traps, as at present used, employ a pivoted armcarrying the target usually secured thereto by a tongue, and by thepartial rotation of the arm upon its pivot and the sudden arresting ofits movement the target is projected into the air with an independentrotary motion. The flight thus imparted is not always uniform orsatisfactory, but may be rendered so by imparting to the target a suddenimpulse at the instant of projection independently of the carrying-arm.

Oneof the objects of myinvention is to produce a trap capable ofimparting this sudden and independent impulse; and to this end itconsists in mounting upon the main sendingarm an independent pivotedcarrier, which, by the movement of the arm and at the instant of arrest,is swung around upon its pivot by its own centrifugal force, andsuddenly thrown into line with the main arm as an extension thereof,releasing the target at the culmination of the instantaneous independentimpulse which imparts additional force both in projection and rotation.This feature of my invention may be independently used with trapsadapted to targets either with or without tongues.

The remaining features of my invention relate more especially to themeansfor projecting a tongueless target, and consist in holding andreleasing apparatus, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings accompanying and illustrating this specification. I haveshown a form of apparatus in which all these features are embodied.-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the appaapproved construction, andrequiring here no special illustration or description. To the outer endof the arm A, I attach a pivoted extension, B, which forms the carrierof the tar get 0, a shallow cylindrical cup of fragile ma- /terial,which in the present case, Fig. 2, is shown tongueless. The carrier isan approximately triangular or semicircular holder, preferably formed ofsheet metal, having a turnedup edge at two or more points, as atLL,forming guidestops for the target when placed in position upon thebottom of the holder B. In "the present case I employ, also,aspring-catch in the form of a bell-crank lever pivoted upon thecarrier, with one arm, 0, bent forward as a trigger, resting upon thetarget and holding it by pressure downward upon the carrier, and theother arm, 0, extending rearward beneath the main arm A, insuclrrelation that in the independent pivotal movement of the carrierwhen the latter reaches its ultimate position, the arm 0' is broughtbeneath the main arm A, and by a suitably-curved extremity, f, actingagainst the main arm as a cam, the

trigger end 0 is forced upward against the through the opening of thestud D, being pivoted above between two lugs, Z Z, rising from the upperend 'of the stud at the sides of the perforation. The pivot-pinp,passing through the lugs and trigger, is extended laterally, and

forms a holder for the spring S, which is bent horizontally around thelugs, and rises thence IOO vertically behind and engages with a verticalextension, 0*, of the trigger-arm.

The operation is as follows: The trap being set, the target is placed inposition upon the holder and secured beneath a tooth, F, of the forwardextension of the trigger-arm. The holder is then thrown back to an acuteangle with the arm Aupon the side from which the movement of the latterproceeds. By the swinging of the main arm the carrier is impelled by itsown centrifugal force to rotate upon its pivot in the same general planeand direction, and at the moment of arrest of the main arm by itsprovided stop the carrier is suddenly swung outward to its extremeposition, and by the action of the trigger mechanism the target is atthe same instant released, the swing of the carrier and the centrifugalforce of the target acting against the holdingflange or tongue L as anabutment, imparting to the target a rapid whirling motion, which,

with the sudden access of projecting force at the moment of release,gives a perfect and absolutely controllable flight, regulated by thedegree of impelling force.

In the modified form of apparatus shown in Figs. 8 and 4, the carrierconsists of two arms formed to clasp the target around its marginalwall, and to release it by spreading apart. The construction is asfollows: The claspingarms G G, formed to embrace and hold the target, asdescribed, are secured at their rear ends to a stud or block, 0, risingfrom a plate, B, pivoted to a stud or block, D, which in turn is pivotedupon the enlargement A of the main arm A. The stud D is somewhatelliptical in horizontal section, with its lower portion cylindrical,forming the pivot for the plate Ban arrangement permitting the stud tobe adjusted with its longer axis in any desired relation to the main armA without interfering with its function. as a pivot for the plate 13.The adjustment is effected and the stud secured to the enlargement A bymeans of a thumb-screw, H, constituting also the pivot of the stud D,the object of the adjustment being to place the elongated stud D in suchrelation to the axis of the main sendingarm that when the pivotedcarrier (consisting in this case of the plate 13 and the arms G securedthereto) is swung around by its centrifugal force the arms will beseparated by impinging against the extremities of the stud E and releasethe target at the proper moment.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a trap or sendingapparatus for flying targets, a sending-arm provided with a pivotedextension constituting the target carrier, which, by the motion andarrest of the sending-arm, is independently rotated upon its pivot bycentrifugal force into a position elongating the main arm, and projectsthe target by a sudden rotary impulse, substantially as set forth.

2. In a trap or sending apparatus for flying targets, a sending-armprovided with a pivotedextension carrying the target, and having anindependent rotation by centrifugal force, in combination with targetholding and releasing mechanism automatically actuated to release thetarget at the moment of extreme extension of the sending-arm,substantially as set forth. I

3. Ina sending apparatus for flying targets,

in combination with a pivoted sending'arm having a pivotedtarget-earrying extension, :1 spring-catch adapted to hold the targetand release the same automatically at the proper instant of time, as setforth.

4. 111 a target-sending apparatus, in combination with the main arm Aand pivoted carrier B, the trigger 0, provided with the releasing-arm cf, and holding-spring S, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a target-sending apparatus, the combination of the main arm A andpivoted extension B, provided with automatic holding and releasingdevices, with the adjustable spring-washer w, for regulating thefrictional resistance to centrifugal action of the carrier,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my handand seal in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

PHILIP MARQUA. [L s.]

Witnesses:

L. M. HOSEA, It. M. MOORE.

